Bear Mountain. Connecticut

We went hiking the other day up Bear Mountain in Connecticut. Some parts of the Appalachian Trail actually intersect with the Bear Mountain trail and when we reached the top of the mountain and we were taking in the view, a hiker came along. Our conversation went something like this…

Matt’s uncle: “Hi, how are you today.”

The hiker: “I’m fine, thanks.”

Matt’s uncle: “Where did you come from?”

The hiker: “Springer Mountain”

Matt’s uncle: “Where is that?”

The hiker: “Georgia”

Needless to say, we were intrigued by the guy’s story, so we invited him to come sit with us on a bluff overlooking the valley. The guy was in his 20’s and he had started hiking the Appalachian Trail in April. He had walked 1,500 miles to that point and was hoping to finish the trail by late October. He said that he was the 967th person to hike the trail this year and that the success rate of doing the entire trail is only about 20%. It’s always worth talking to people to find out their story because you never know what people might have to tell you.